Paris Is Burning, the nearly 30 year-old documentary that gave the world their first look at the NYC ballroom scene of the 80s, made a return to New York this summer at Film Forum before a national rollout with a newly restored print.
Now the Criterion Collection has announced the films re-release with previously unseen material.
The hour of never-before-seen footage, includes audio commentary, and a conversation between director Jenny Livingston, filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris, and ball community members.
A 1991 episode of The Joan Rivers Show, featuring Livingston and ball community members Dorian Corey, Pepper LaBeija, Freddie Pendavis, and Willi Ninja will also be included.
The legendary doc chronicles the mid-to-late 80s ball culture in NYC led by Black and brown gay and transgender communities. The documentary features interviews from trans women such as Venus Xtravaganza (who was murdered before the film’s completion) and Octavia St. Laurent.
PIB notably introduced slang we still use like “reading” and “shade”, courtesy of the late Dorian Corey. And needless to say, a hit series like Ryan Murphy‘s Pose owes a LOT to PIB.
The film has been included in the U.S. National Film Registry for being
“culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
Paris is Burning will be available on February 25, 2020.
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? The landmark documentary PARIS IS BURNING (1990) provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. pic.twitter.com/5pmWllMXdc
— Criterion Collection (@Criterion) November 15, 2019
(via Out)
